Benefit to honor fallen police chief

Chief Maloney fundraiser to be held St. Patrick's Day

NORTH HAMPTON — An inaugural benefit in the memory of slain Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney will help raise funds this St. Patrick's Day so that officers can say "a final goodbye" to a fallen comrade.

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By Joey Cresta

seacoastonline.com

By Joey Cresta

Posted Mar. 12, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By Joey Cresta

Posted Mar. 12, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

NORTH HAMPTON — An inaugural benefit in the memory of slain Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney will help raise funds this St. Patrick's Day so that officers can say "a final goodbye" to a fallen comrade.

The New England Police Benevolent Association Local 211 announced during a gathering at Locals Restaurant & Pub on Thursday that the Chief Michael Maloney St. Patrick's Day Benefit will be held in honor of the late chief on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, starting at 1 p.m. at the establishment on Lafayette Road.

"They couldn't have picked a better day than St. Patrick's Day. He was very proud of his Irish heritage," said Tom Simmons, a retired Greenland officer who still works part-time with the department and knew Maloney for 28 years.

Maloney, 48, was killed by gunfire during a drug raid gone bad April 12, 2012. He was eight days away from retirement.

Rich Brabazon, executive vice president of the New England Police Benevolent Association, said Maloney's name will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., this year. The funds raised through the March 17 event will help facilitate a trip so Maloney's family and officers of the Greenland Police Department can attend the ceremony, he said.

Brabazon said it was with "great honor and pride," but also a heavy heart, that he announced the event sponsored by the NEPBA Local 211.

Officers from the Greenland and North Hampton police departments were on hand for the announcement. Maloney was a longtime officer in North Hampton before he was named chief of the Greenland Police Department in 2000.

North Hampton police Sgt. Joshua Stokel said that the past year has been filled with mourning, and the St. Patrick's Day event will be a chance to celebrate the good memories of Maloney's life.

"This is something that he really would've loved. He would've been the first guy here," he said.

The event will feature raffles and sales of memorabilia, including stickers and T-shirts. Simmons noted that demand for car decals memorializing Maloney remains high a year after his death.

"The outpouring of support is unbelievable. We're expecting people from all over New Hampshire, even Massachusetts, to come by," said North Hampton officer Kate Horgan. "He was a wonderful chief. He was a wonderful man. It's time to celebrate that."

Simmons said he worked with Maloney from his early days in North Hampton and that the chief became one of his closest friends. Simmons even named his oldest son after Maloney.

They enjoyed fishing and golfing together, and even though Maloney was his superior, he never held himself above his other officers, Simmons said.

"He was always there when you needed him (and) he was one of the best friends I've ever had," he said. "He wanted to be where the action is. That's what made him who he is."

Maloney was lauded as a hero for his actions after four officers with the N.H. attorney general's Drug Task Force were wounded during a raid at 517 Post Road, the former home of Cullen Mutrie. Mutrie and girlfriend Brittany Tibbetts were suspected of dealing drugs from his home. Mutrie greeted the officers with gunfire.

Maloney went into the line of fire to assist with removing wounded officers from the scene. Mutrie shot Maloney in the head from a basement window before he killed Tibbetts and himself, according to authorities.

The chief has posthumously received a number of accolades for his actions, including being recognized at the American Red Cross New Hampshire's annual Heroes Breakfast in Manchester on Thursday.

Attorney General Michael Delaney established a committee to review the shooting, which released its findings late last year. The committee found there were a number of deficiencies with the operation and recommended a number of steps to prevent future tragedies.